News & opinion

9 MAR 2018

Facing up to the skills gap in a digital world

Harnessing the creative energy of tech savvy youth into productive careers in the built environment will help us deliver the industrial transformation that society urgently requires to tackle issues related to the economy, environment and social mobility.

In the week of International Women's Day, and during National Apprenticeship Week, it is crucial we celebrate the contributions of apprentices and women to our profession. The pivotal role that diversity and inclusion bring should be recognised and be of continued relevance to our industry.

Innovation and the adoption of more advanced technologies will reduce the labour intensity of building processes, freeing up capacity to focus on higher value-added activities promoting sustainability, standardisation and enhanced public-private collaboration. Meanwhile, workforce development will by definition become a natural extension of education, rather than a siloed resource.

A Fourth Industrial Revolution is already upon us, disrupting almost every industry globally. This challenge is an historic opportunity to improve the standard of living for people around the world, if it remains accessible for all. Bridging the skills gap will require strategic, multi-disciplinary thinking that ultimately puts people first.

The report Mind the Gap: Bridging Jobs with People has four key findings

According to the Q1 2018 RICS Hiring Managers’ Sentiment Survey, apprentices were the only group of workers to see a decline in the time taken to fill vacancies.

Three-quarters of HR managers currently hire or actively employ RICS accredited graduates for progression to RICS membership with a third of these doing more so than in the past.

RICS is leading the industry in promoting diversity and encouraging future talent to consider a career in the built environment via innovative programmes such as UrbanPlan and the Inclusive Employer Quality Mark (IEQM).

Yet only 63% of professionals surveyed in Q4 2017 reported working for an employer with formal hiring policies in place to support diversity in the workplace.